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The Holden Volt, an RHD model built alongside the Chevrolet, Opel, and Vauxhall versions of the PHEV, has not been a hot seller. Photo by Holden

GM pulls plug on Holden Volt in Australia

Next-gen Volt to be LHD-only as just 246 Volts find homes Down Under

April 27, 2015

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GM has made the decision not to produce the next-generation Volt in right-hand drive for foreign markets, which spells the end for the Holden Volt, according to a report from Motoring. The Holden version of the plug-in hybrid has been on sale since 2012 in Australia, but a grand total of only 246 examples have found buyers since the car's launch.

The Holden Volt for Australia, Chevrolet Volt for North America, Opel Ampera for Europe and its Vauxhall Ampera twin are all assembled at Detroit's Hamtramck Assembly plant, making the departure of an RHD model a big deal for the plant and the next-generation Volt, which is set to debut as a 2016 model.

Motoring cites the Australian market's general aversion to EVs for the lack of success for the Holden Volt -- the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV have also done poorly there. A price of $60,000 Australian dollars, which translates to approximately $47,100 U.S. dollars, is one of the factors cited by the publication for the lack of success for the Volt.

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"Electric and hybrid vehicles in the (Australian) passenger car market make up less than 3 percent of sales," Holden's director of communication Sean Poppitt told Motoring. "I don't think it's fair to point out any one model. It's not like the Leaf or any other cars are selling strongly here."

There's no word yet on whether the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which is expected to debut as a 2017 model in the U.S., will be produced in RHD form for Vauxhall.